Independence Day

“The people are the only legitimate fountain of power.” ~ James Madison

Twelve-score and ten years ago—in other words: 1775*—people in this country were fighting to make their vision of independence a reality.

They succeeded because they had vision among their leadership for a nation with self-rule.

They started because they had BAD leadership.

Good leadership inspires people to do things they did not even know were possible—like kicking out an oppressive monarchy. Good leadership shares a vision for success, builds buy-in, and leads people into action.

Bad leadership inspires resistance. A bad leader in a company might not risk the literal guillotine, but they probably will experience negative attitudes, poor morale, low productivity, and low retention. They will only have the loyalty of people who don’t have the intelligence or competence to succeed on their own merits, so they become “yes-men” and “yes-women” to continue their careers. The people with knowledge and talent are likely to leave for places where knowledge and talent is rewarded. And they also are likely to poach other knowledgeable and talented people from that low-morale environment and bring them to those greener pastures.

Tomorrow is Independence Day. Let history remind us to be the kind of leaders the founders would have respected.

* The Battle of Concord and Lexington was April 19, 1775.

(quote source: https://ceoworld.biz/2024/07/03/independence-day-and-lessons-from-the-founding-fathers/ image generated using Midjourney)